Capsicum chinense

Capsicum chinense
	Habanero fruits
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Solanales
Family:	Solanaceae
Genus:	Capsicum
Species:	C. chinense
Binomial name
	Capsicum chinense; Jacq.
Synonyms
	Capsicum sinense Murray; Capsicum toxicarium Poepp. ex Fingerh.;

Capsicum chinense, commonly known as a "habanero-type pepper", is a species of chili pepper native to the Americas. C. chinense varieties are well known for their unique flavors and, in many cases, exceptional heat. The hottest peppers in the world are members of this species, with a Scoville Heat Unit score of 2.69 million measured in the C. chinense cultivar, Pepper X in 2023.^[2]

Some taxonomists consider C. chinense to be within the species C. annuum, and they are a member of the C. annuum complex;^[3]^[4] however, C. chinense and C. annuum pepper plants can sometimes be distinguished by the number of flowers or fruit per node – two to five for C. chinense and one for C. annuum – though this method is not always accurate.^[5] The two species can also hybridize and generate inter-specific hybrids. C. frutescens may be the ancestor to the C. chinense species.^[6]

^ "Capsicum chinense Jacq". The Plant List.
^ Sanj Atwal (16 October 2023). "Pepper X dethrones Carolina Reaper as world's hottest chilli pepper". Guinness World Records Ltd. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
^ "Capsicum chinense". Tropicos.
^ Eshbaugh, W.H (1993). "History and exploitation of a serendipitous new crop discovery". In Janick, J; Simon, J.E (eds.). New crops. New York: Wiley. pp. 132–39.
^ Tanksley, Steven D; Iglesias-Olivas, Jaime (Nov 1984), "Inheritance and transfer of multiple-flower character from Capsicum chinense into Capsicum annuum", Euphytica, 33 (3): 769–77, doi:10.1007/bf00021903, S2CID 42784000.
^ Russo, Vincent M. (2012). Peppers: Botany, Production and Uses. Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International. p. 17. ISBN 9781845937676. Retrieved 17 May 2017.

[1] "Capsicum chinense Jacq". The Plant List.

[GWR-2] Sanj Atwal (16 October 2023). "Pepper X dethrones Carolina Reaper as world's hottest chilli pepper". Guinness World Records Ltd. Retrieved 16 October 2023.

[3] "Capsicum chinense". Tropicos.

[4] Eshbaugh, W.H (1993). "History and exploitation of a serendipitous new crop discovery". In Janick, J; Simon, J.E (eds.). New crops. New York: Wiley. pp. 132–39.

[5] Tanksley, Steven D; Iglesias-Olivas, Jaime (Nov 1984), "Inheritance and transfer of multiple-flower character from Capsicum chinense into Capsicum annuum", Euphytica, 33 (3): 769–77, doi:10.1007/bf00021903, S2CID 42784000.

[6] Russo, Vincent M. (2012). Peppers: Botany, Production and Uses. Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International. p. 17. ISBN 9781845937676. Retrieved 17 May 2017.

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